Beginning Level Spanish
Students at the beginning level are introduced to the fundamentals of Spanish grammar. The goal is to teach students basic linguistic skills so they can understand others and communicate in everyday situations. Topics studied at the beginning level include:
- Agreement
- Pronouns
- Ser/estar/hay
- Present tense
- Gerund
- Past tense
- Positive commands
- Comparative structures
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 7
Contact Hours: 110
Intermediate Level Spanish
An intermediate-level couse which aims, from a communicative perspective, to develop in an integrated and significant
way, the fundamental linguistic skills (listening and reading comprehension, written and oral expression).
The course has a strong focus on lexical and grammatical content whilst always seeking to respond
effectively to the communicative and academic needs of the students.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Beginner
Recommended US semester credits: 7
Contact Hours: 110
View Syllabus
Advanced/Superior Level Spanish
Students are able to use and understand complex linguistic structures to communicate in a variety of situations that demand an exchange of information and opinions. Topics studied at the advanced level include:
- Correlation of tenses with past tenses and conditional
- Relative clauses with prepositions
- Uses of the subjunctive
- Past tenses: a general and interrelated perspective
- Time correlation in referred discourse
- Future for conjecture
- Conditional for hypothetical situations
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Advanced
Recommended US semester credits: 7
Contact Hours: 110
Cine Español (Spanish Cinema)
The objectives of this course are to discuss films shown in class and to broaden students’ knowledge of conversational Spanish through cinema (formal and informal register, dialect varieties, and so on). The course also aims to analyze how films reflect Spanish society and how Spanish cinema responds to its changing needs.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Conversar en Español (Spanish Conversation)
This course is aimed at students interested in furthering their resources and strategies for successful communication in everyday contexts. The course encourages fluent and natural speech by enhancing interaction and the use of adequate oral expression and comprehension strategies in particular contexts.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 1.5
España y Europa: Origen y Evolucion (Spain and Europe: origins and evolution)
The main aim of this course is to provide an overview of the history of European cultures, and
the transformations that have taken place from prehistory to the current time, with a
particular focus on the Hispanic area. Students will study the new reality of the Mediterranean
world after the Islamic expansion from the north of Africa, the conquest of Spain, and the
domination of part of the Mediterranean
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Beginner
Recommended US semester credits: 3
View Syllabus
Español Hablado en Situaciones Cotidianas (Everyday Spoken Spanish)
Throughout this course students will discover the everyday social, economic, and cultural realties of contemporary Barcelona. In each of the sessions work will focus on the relevant communicative functions for each subject, as well as prototypical linguistic exponents.
In the first term, topics covered include:
- Shopping (markets and street markets)
- Coffee shops, breakfast and “meriendas”; restaurants; where to find cheap restaurants “de tapas”
- Holidays, festivals and annual events
- The city’s neighborhoods; public transportation
- The city at night; 10 points to remember when going “de marcha” at night
- Interesting spots to go cycling, walking…
In the second term, topics covered include:
- What Barcelona is NOT – exploding the myths
- Barcelona: a cosmopolitan and multicultural city; a bilingual city
- Day trips near Barcelona; the beach and mountains
- Leisure; sports
- Outdoor activities and parks
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Lectura de Textos Breves (Reading of Short Texts)
This course seeks to improve students’ linguistic competency and, more specifically, the reading competency of students through the comprehensive, critical and enjoyable reading of brief Spanish texts which belong to different textual typologies.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Lengua y Cultura Catalanas (Catalan Language and Culture)
The goal of this course is to introduce students to basic Catalan expressions and the grammatical structures used in everyday conversation. Students will also be exposed to the language through Catalan culture, including basic geography, holidays and traditional customs, Catalan literature, history, art, and music.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Pronunciación (Pronunciation)
El objetivo principal de este curso es que el alumno mejore su pronunciación en español. Para ello se presentarán los diversos aspectos de la fonética y la articulación del español con un enfoque práctico, para que el alumno aprenda a escuchar, reconocer y producir el español correctamente.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Recommended US semester credits: 1.5
Barcelona, Mediterranean Metropolis
The main objective of the course is to provide students with a general vision of the city of Barcelona, not only from an historic point of view but also artistic, literary, or cinematographic. In the first term, students will see how the original Roman city grew to be a typical European medieval town and how, centuries later, it was the center of an artistic movement called modernism which changed its appearance forever. In the second term, students will follow the steps of some of the writers or movie directors who fell in love with the city to learn how they understood it and will be also seeing some of the most important changes of the city, particularly the Olympic Games in 1992, to see how these helped created the current city.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Spain’s Economy Highlights
This course focuses on the main characteristics of Spain’s economy. Centered not only in the current status of the economy but also in the historical evolution of the country from 1939, the course aims to be a general overview of what makes and has conditioned Spain’s economic growth, and what has set the particularities of Spain’s current economic crisis. The students are encouraged to discuss and try to establish comparisons with their countries’ characteristics during the course.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Geografía de España (Spanish Geography)
This course is intended to give general knowledge of the country through the geographical study of the natural environment, population, economic activities, and the regional reality.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Course Level: Upper Division
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Course Level: Upper Division
View Syllabus
Spanish Politics
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the main features of the Spanish Political system and its evolution. In order to do so the main elements that compose political systems are reviewed. The course will also review how the Spanish system might be different or similar to other systems of the world. The course is divided in three main sections: Institutional framework, Elections and Political Culture. The first section explains the institutions that govern the life of the country and the legal basis of the system. This first section is divided into three subsections, one that explains the background and context where the institutions were chosen and approved; one that explains the main institutions of the constitutional agreement reached in 1978 and their development; and one that introduces the territorial organization and the process of decentralization. The second section focuses on one of the main figures of democratic systems: electoral dynamics in Spain. This section starts with a description of regulation of elections in Spain. Then Spanish political parties are presented and discussed. Finally, the electoral dynamics are explained by reviewing the different phases of electoral behavior in different elections since democracy was established. The last section introduces the main figures of political culture in Spain and the ways in which it might be different from that of other countries. It is divided in two section, one that focuses on the elites and its characteristics and one that will review the main figures of citizens political culture and public attitudes.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Cortometrajes del Cine Español (Spanish Short Films)
El objetivo principal del curso es conocer la idiosincrasia de las relaciones sociales, culturales y humanas de los españoles a través de cortometrajes españoles. El visionado del corto suscitará un análisis crítico y un debate sobre temas de alcance social y humano. La asignatura consta de 22 sesiones. En ellas se introduce al alumno en las características principales del corto español y se le dan a conocer cortos agrupados temáticamente. En estas sesiones se estimulará al alumno al debate y a la crítica.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 4
Escribir en Español (Writing in Spanish I)
During the course, students will work on the acquisition of strategies to interpret and
construct written texts of different types and genres, with an emphasis on processes of
reading comprehension, planning, writing and review. This course is particularly designed for
intermediate level foreign students.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 1.5
View Syllabus
España Actual: sociedad e instituciones (Contemporary Spain: Society and Institutions)
The main aim of the course is to provide an overview of the physical and natural environment
of Spain, and then to study its territory in relation to the social sphere and the economy,
nationally and regionally
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
View Syllabus
Español Para la Economia y los Negocios (Spanish for Economic and Business)
This course introduces students to the business and economic world through a selection of newspaper articles and authentic materials that highlight the specialist vocabulary and grammatical structures needed for specific business contexts. Students develop language skills for comprehension and expression which prepare them for interactive communication in real-life situations such as debates, presentations, and simulations.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Geografia de España
This course will introduce students to Spain’s natural environment and its relationship with Spanish society and the country’s economy. In the second term, the course will focus on Spain’s economy and society from a world and regional perspective, and examine how this relates to Spain’s natural resources.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Hispanoamérica: Pintura, Cine, Literatura y Música (Latin America: Painting, Cinema, Literature and Music)
El curso consistirá en el estudio de la Cultura Hispanoamericana a través de algunas de sus obras más representativas y del marco socio-cultural y artístico en que se inscriben. El objetivo prioritario es facilitar al alumno los conocimientos y claves de lectura específicos, así como potenciar y desarrollar las diferentes estrategias de comprensión e interpretación vinculadas al mundo cultural y artístico hispanoamericano.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Historia del Arte I (Spanish Art History I: From Ancient to Medieval)
This course will give a general overview of the main artistic manifestations that have taken place in the Iberian Peninsula from Prehistoric to the Islamic period. In the second term, attention will focus on Romanesque, Gothic and Mudejar art.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Historia del Arte II (Spanish Art History II: from the Renaissance till the 20th century)
The main objectives are to provide an overview of Spanish art since the end of the 15th century up until the 18th century, and thus expose Hispanic art from Goya till our current times.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Viaje Literario por España (A Literary Trip Through Spain)
El objetivo principal de este curso es realizar un recorrido por las diferentes provincias españolas, a partir de una amplia selección de textos literarios de escritores españoles, principalmente del siglo XX. A través de dichos escritos, los alumnos irán descubriendo tanto las similitudes como las diferencias de costumbres, formas de pensar, mentalidad, etc. de las diversas regiones que componen una país tan rico y diverso como es España.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
Language Level Required: Intermediate
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Critical Skills for Managers of the Future
Strengthening a soft skill is one of the best investments you can make in your career. According to World Economic Forum accelerating changes to business models will have a profound impact on employment landscape and are expected to have a significant impact of managers widening skills gaps. Capabilities define what you do and what you need to win making your strategy much more tangible. Thus, future managers should reinforce these so as not to be displaced.
In order to success in front of disruptive changes managers must acquire the necessary business skills because their work is critical to helping everyone else work together seamlessly motivating and inspiring their subordinates, advancing new tech challenges, involving problem-solving, improving decision-making and activating creativity attitudes, among others. This course is a practical introduction to all of the Critical Skills for Managers of the Future like critical thinking, negotiation, flexibility, people management and more.
In the class, students will learn the global vision and the tools required in order to effectively manage all of the challenges that new disruptive era are currently demanding. The course explains the “whats” and the “whys” of new management capabilities in order to have a big perspective about it and learning-by-doing approach.
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Contact Hours: 6
Sustainable Business Management
Irreversibly, current and future businesses will have to be sustainable. In this sense sustainable is attracting the attention of companies, consumers, policy-makers, stakeholders and business agents from around the world. Thus, the number of companies developing and implementing sustainable business strategies is growing. To carry out this challenge successfully companies are recruiting managers prepared in this cross-disciplinary topic. This course is an introduction to all of the Sustainable Business Management: Global sustainable models, trade, industry, consumption, trends, strategies, key sectors, policy and more.
In the class, students will learn the vision and the tools required in order to effectively manage all of the challenges that new sustainable business models are currently demanding. The course explains the “whats” and the “whys” of sustainable business in order to learn a big perspective and deep capabilities around the sustainability competitive advantages.
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Contact Hours: 6
